Foot injury has forward Ales Hemsky out of Edmonton Oilers lineup for at least a week

While trading Ales Hemsky might still be an unfinished item on Craig MacTavish's to-do liest, the Oilers GM says he would be quite comfortable with Hemsky on the roster this fall. (Perry Nelson, Edmonton Sun)

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Ales Hemsky’s taken some grief in town for not stepping up like he was expected to during the heart of the stretch drive, but he did what he could on one foot.

While the Oilers aren’t saying anything yet, it’s suspected Hemsky has been playing with a broken bone in his foot for a month.

“I had it for a little while,” said the 29-year-old winger, who’s been on the limp since March 7. “I blocked a shot in Detroit on the big road trip. It’s been a struggle since then.”

Hemsky didn’t have the same jump he had at the start of the season, but with Edmonton in the middle of a playoff chase, he couldn’t bring himself to sitting out. Now with the Oilers out of the hunt and the injury getting worse, he’s out for a week, and maybe the rest of the season.

“I knew we were battling for a playoff spot and I wanted to be in and try help the team, that’s why I played,” said Hemsky, who’s been chomping pills and taking shots, but nothing helps.

“I don’t want to make excuses. It’s been a struggle, a lot of pain. I’ll take a week without playing, regroup and get ready for next week hopefully.”

They’ll take some more Xrays or an MRI, and decide what to do with the rest of his season then.

“He was showing a lot of courage,” said head coach Ralph Krueger. “He was there for the team, he wanted to play. Kudos to him to trying to play through it and trying to battle through it, but he reached a point where we need to take step back.

“It’s quite clear that he’s had more than a month of ups and downs. You’ve been aware of him being out of practices. He tried to play through it but, due to the fact that it’s actually gotten worse on him, it’s time for a break.”

Foot injury has forward Ales Hemsky out of Edmonton Oilers lineup for at least a week

Ales Hemsky’s taken some grief in town for not stepping up like he was expected to during the heart of the stretch drive, but he did what he could on one foot.

While the Oilers aren’t saying anything yet, it’s suspected Hemsky has been playing with a broken bone in his foot for a month.

“I had it for a little while,” said the 29-year-old winger, who’s been on the limp since March 7. “I blocked a shot in Detroit on the big road trip. It’s been a struggle since then.”

Hemsky didn’t have the same jump he had at the start of the season, but with Edmonton in the middle of a playoff chase, he couldn’t bring himself to sitting out. Now with the Oilers out of the hunt and the injury getting worse, he’s out for a week, and maybe the rest of the season.

“I knew we were battling for a playoff spot and I wanted to be in and try help the team, that’s why I played,” said Hemsky, who’s been chomping pills and taking shots, but nothing helps.